Dressing for leather articles



UNITED STATES JOHN IV. FOSTER, OF

PATENT OFFICE.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

DRESSING FOR LEATHER ARTICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,427, dated April 28, 1891. Application filed February 2, 1891. {serial No. 379,907. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN IV. FOSTER, a citizen of Canada, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented. a new and useful Dressing for Leather Articles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dressing for ar ticles of leather, and has for its object the production of a dressing which shall have the qualities of a polishblacking and an oilblacking combined, and by means of which the article treated receives a glossy jet-black coating that is water-proof and durable, while the leather treated remains soft and pliable.

My dressing is intended to be used with any articles of leath er-su ch as boots,sh0 es,trunks, valises, carriage-tops, harnesses, &c.as prepared for use upon boots and shoes or similar articles, where it is desired that the dressing shall dry quickly and the article be ready for use immediately. The proportions of the ingredients used differ slightly from the proportions to be used when the dressing is to be employed upon articles that may be laid away for a time and allowed to dry more slowly.

I use in my leather-dressing the followingnamed articles in substantially the quantities specified.

For a quick-drying dressing I use two gallons of alcohol, three quarts of wood-alcohol, four pounds of shellac, three ounces of lampblack, two ounces of ivory-black, four ounces of solid extract of logwood, four ounces of sweet-oil, four ounces of caster-oil, four ounces of neats-foot oil, and two ounces of gumcamphor. The various substances are dis-' solved or mixed separately with the alcohol and are separately strained to insure the thorough breaking up and dissolution of any lumps of material, and are finally mingled together, mixed thoroughly, and the material is ready for use. The proportion of alcohol and wood-alcohol may be varied somewhat, although an excess of wood-alcohol causes an offensive odor which is objectionable to some people, and for toilet purposes the amount of wood-alcohol should not great-1y exceed the proportion given.

In preparing the dressing for articles that may be allowed to dry more slowly and where so high a polish is not necessary I use proportions substantially as follows: alcohol, two gallons; Wood-alcohol, one gallon; shellac, three and one-half pounds; lamp-black, three ounces; ivory-black, two ounces; extract of logwood, four ounces; sweet-oil, four ounces; castor-oil, four ounces; neats-foot oil, eight ounces; gum-camphor, two and 011ehalf ounces.

In applying either of these dressings to the leather the article should be made clean and dry and the dressing applied with a brush, giving it one, two, or three coats, as may be necessary to blacken and polish the article as highly as maybe desired. It dries rapidly. The dressing made by the first formula dries almost immediately, and the article coated with it repels water, while it may be further dressed with oil, if desired, without destroying the polish of the dressing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as novel, and desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent, is

The composition of alcohols, shellac, lampblack, ivory-black, extract of logwood, sweetoil, castor-oil, neats-foot oil, and gum-camphor, in substantially the proportions stated, and for the purpose specified.

JOHN W. FOSTER. Witnesses:

EFFIE I. CROFT,

CHARLES F. BURTON. 

